Mayor

Mark your calendars. The Orlando Sentinel and UCF's Metro Center are co-sponsoring a debate between the candidates for Orlando mayor on March 7 with a 5 p.m. reception with the candidates and the debate starting at 5:30. Three candidates are confirmed so far - Buddy Dyer, Phil Diamond and Mike Cantone. We are still awaiting confirmation from Ken Mulvaney, who qualified on Friday. We are hoping to live stream the event, too. Check back for updates.

Nearly a year after longtime Seminole County School Board member Diane Bauer's death, Gov. Rick Scott has appointed a replacement to serve the remainder of her term. Tom Walters, 65, the former Mayor of Oviedo who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1971 to 2000, took over the position Monday. He will serve on the board until a new board member is seated on Nov. 18, according to a statement from Scott's office. Bauer held her seat since 1998. She died in October 2013. Seminole County voters will choose the new board member during an election on Aug. 26. Voters will choose between Frank Curcio and Rich Sloane, who both have backgrounds in education, and Bauer's son, Jeff Bauer, who works as an insurance agent and consultant.

In their race for mayor, Teresa Jacobs and Bill Segal couldn't be further apart on two key issues facing Orange County. Ms. Jacobs makes ethics reform a priority; Mr. Segal calls it a trivial pursuit. Ms. Jacobs demands assurances from developers that jobs will accompany homes; Mr. Segal's prone to giving builders the benefit of the doubt. The candidates aren't in different time zones on everything, however. Both say they're big supporters of passenger rail. Yet it's how they approach policy issues that also separates them.

Part Two Clermont is entering a new era in its municipal life, and voters will get to make a choice in November about who should lead the city, which is becoming younger and more active. Current Mayor Hal Turville is retiring after 16 years from the job that pays $4,800 a year annually, and two very different candidates are seeking to replace him: Rick VanWagner, a failed real estate investor, businessman and pastor, and retired teacher and former councilwoman Gail Ash. On Sunday, this column took a look at VanWagner, who did not respond to questions about his goals for the city.

The Orlando Sentinel asked candidates for mayor of Oviedo, Dave knickerbocker, and Bill Crummett, for their responses to a series of questions about city government issues.Why are you running?Crummett: Because I'm upset with city government. I can see the same thing coming that forced me to start a campaign last year to re-elect no one. We're going to hell in a handbasket. I want to limit city debt, manage growth and keep taxes low.Knickerbocker: I've been active in politics, I want to give something to my community and I have a strong sense of public service.

As candidates line up to be Orange County's next mayor, three matters in particular should prove whether a candidate is up to the job of leading -- really leading -- a still-growing county of more than a million people. Here's what voters should demand that candidates answer between now and the election next year: Question No. 1: Would you allow more subdivisions in the rural areas? Right now Orange has enough land within its urban boundary -- the area in which it commits to providing expensive services such as roads, schools, sewer and water -- to accommodate its expected population for another eight to 13 years.

EUSTIS — Kress Muenzmay was named as mayor during the City Commission's first meeting of the new year. Also, Commissioner Linda Bob was picked as vice mayor and commissioners Michael Holland, Albert Eckian and Karen LeHeup-Smith took their oaths of office at last week's organizational meeting. Holland, the incumbent for Seat 3, and Eckian, the Seat 5 commissioner, ran unopposed last year, while LeHeup-Smith won the November election for Seat 4. Outgoing mayor Susan Hooper and William Ferree didn't run for re-election for their seats.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Tuesday rewarded the Foursquare "mayor" -- the person who used the popular social-networking service to check in the most from the new Amway Center -- with tickets to several events. Robert DiTota, a 26-year-old a bartender and University of Central Florida student, smiled and posed for pictures with Dyer outside the $480 million complex. The "mayor" is the person who has checked in at the location the most within a 60-day period, but with only one check-in a day counted.

Eatonville Mayor Anthony Grant is being investigated by the Florida Commission on Ethics on charges he misused his official position, according to documents provided to the Orlando Sentinel. A complaint filed by Monique Washington of Maitland alleges that Grant: *Is using Town Attorney Joseph Morrell to represent him in a private matter. *Used a town computer for private business. *Has not paid water bills on several properties that he owns in Eatonville or has an ownership interest in. *Is using his position as mayor to buy property in Eatonville.

Winter Park Mayor Kenneth Bradley held on to his seat tonight in a race with a challenger who said she wanted to restore residents' faith in city government. Bradley cruised to victory with about 72 percent of the vote. His challenger, Nancy Miles, had about 28 percent. Bradley said the margin of his victory was an indication that Winter Park voters are confident that he is doing a good job leading the city. The Winter Park mayor serves a three-year term for an annual salary about $3,000.

First of two parts. Clermont is at a crossroads, the result of a big change in its demographics. Which way should it go? Some folks want the city to turn back to its roots - provide basic services at decent prices and skip the frills. That's the view voters will hear from Gail Ash, a retired teacher and former City Council member who wants to be mayor. Others, particularly younger families, want the city to reinvent itself and provide more recreation and entertainment, desires that cost money.

Exciting. Positive. Proud. All words Mayor Buddy Dyer used to introduce Westgate Resorts CEO David Siegel as the new owner of the Orlando Predators on Tuesday at a news conference at Amway Center. "It's another exciting day in Orlando," Dyer said. "Ten years ago we set forth on a vision to revitalize our downtown, and key to that effort was our community venues. Since 2010 in this building, we've had Paul McCartney, Elton John. We've had the NBA All-Star Game and the NCAA Division I men's basketball.

Mayor Kenneth Bradley said he has decided to support a movement to rename Fleet Peeples Park after several women came forward to say they had been molested by the former swimming instructor, the man that the park was named after. Bradley said he supports the renaming of Fleet Peeples Park following those serious allegations. “I will be voting to do that on Monday” during the July 14 City Commission meeting, Bradley said. “The naming of a park is an honor. And while I would love to have due process and a complete police investigation, the name of a park has a different standard.

Apopka Mayor Joe Kilsheimer jolted Orange County's second-largest city last week, forcing out Apopka's longtime legal adviser, Frank Kruppenbacher, and hiring a consultant to scrutinize the city's operations. Some see the mayor's executive decision to hire the consultant as a prelude to more sweeping changes. "It's the oldest trick in the book," said David Rankin, a banker who served as campaign treasurer for former Mayor John Land's unsuccessful re-election bid. "When you push for an agenda, you hire a consultant who will basically write a report that substantiates what you want to do. " Kilsheimer promised change during the campaign that unseated Land, but he had not shaken up much in Apopka since the March election, even offering an office and secretary for his iconic predecessor to organize papers from six decades at the helm.

He has said it many times before, Mayor Kenneth Bradley noted, but it's certainly worth repeating. “If it wasn't for our parks,” the mayor noted, “all we would be is winter.” One of the great jewels of the city of Winter Park, Bradley pointed out during a ceremony at City Hall, is the many parks that provide options for recreation, outdoor activities, and special events like the annual Arts Festival. With that in mind, the mayor issued a proclamation declaring that July 2014 would be Parks and Recreation Month in the city of Winter Park.

DELTONA — Commissioners plan to talk more about the mayor's proposal to dole out $3.4 million in surplus funds to residents during a Tuesday workshop. Mayor Dennis Mulder wants to give out $250 checks to homeowners and commercial property owners on first-come, first-served basis. Commissioners debated the idea at a May 17 meeting and decided to postpone a vote for more discussion at the workshop, at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall, 2345 Providence Blvd. —Eloísa Ruano González

A Democrat-led referendum designed to put party affiliations next to the names of all county candidates on the ballot has qualified for the Nov. 4 ballot, elections officials said Friday. If passed, all county races would be partisan, and the mayor's race would move to the presidential-year election cycle, when Democrats more often turn out. With more than 46,000 voter signatures verified, it marks only the second time a petition-driven referendum has qualified for the ballot under Orange's charter.

CLERMONT - After almost 16 years as mayor, Hal Turville said Monday that he won't seek re-election this year. The 67-year-old Turville, who has served as mayor since 1998 and previously on the City Council from 1981 to 1994, said it's time to step back and take a break. "I have been involved for a very, very long time, and it's time for me to get out there and try to enjoy myself a little bit," he said. "I've contemplated this for probably three or four years, and I think it's time to lighten my load.